A millionaire Tory peer has been killed in a horrific helicopter crash just months after he raised concerns about the safety of his fleet, it emerged yesterday.

Lord Ballyedmond died just yards from the helipad at his country estate after his aircraft got into trouble in thick fog and hit a tree.

The Conservative Party donor is thought to have been flying with his foreman, Declan Small, and two airmen Carl Dickerson and Lee Hoyle.

Scroll down for videos

Forensic experts continue to work at the scene while preparations are made to remove the bodies of the four men, Lord Ballyedmond, his foreman Declan Small and pilots Carl Dickerson and Lee Hoyle

Once the bodies of the four men have been recovered, then experts can begin the process of working out exactly what caused last night's disaster

Lord Ballyedmond, photographed alongside his wife Mary outside their home in Rostrevor in Northern Ireland in 2005. The peer was believed to be flying home when his helicopter crashed, killing all four men on board

Lord Ballyedmond purchased the £10.7m AW139 VIP helicopter from Augusta Westland in September 2012, however aircraft suffered a string of safety issues leading the peer to brand the aircraft 'not suitable for the purposes for which it was intended'

All four men were killed in the
accident on Thursday evening, with police last night still working to
remove their bodies from the mangled wreckage.

Yesterday, it emerged that some of the victims’ family members may have learnt about their death from online forums.

Lord Ballyedmond's foreman Declan Small, 42, from Northern Ireland, pictured above, was among the four killed in the horrific crash

According to the aircraft's manufacturers, the AW139 was capable of operating both day and night and in poor weather conditions

Rescuers were forced to leave the bodies of the four men; Lord Ballyedmond, his foreman Declan Small and two airmen Carl Dickerson and Lee Hoyle at the scene over night

Ulster
Unionist peer Lord Empey, who has known the Haughey family for 25
years, said: ‘Lord Ballyedmond was one of the most successful
entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland and indeed these islands. This tragic
accident has cut short the life of a man who still had much to give. The
family circle will be numbed by the tragedy.’

South
Down MP Margaret Ritchie added: ‘He got up and at it and he possessed
those attributes required to make you a successful businessman, but he
also was a major employer and a lot of families had connections with him
through that.’

Lord
Ballyedmond’s AW139 VIP helicopter crashed at 7.30pm after taking off
from Gillingham Hall, his stately home near Beccles in Norfolk.

The
men were on their way to Newry, Northern Ireland, where Lord
Ballyedmond is based with his wife Mary, 66. The couple have two sons –
Edward, 34, and James, 33, and a daughter Caroline, 38.

The doomed helicopter left a trail of wreckage more than 100 metres long after it thought to have clipped some trees as it spiraled out of control

Accident search teams can be seen looking for vital clues that could help establish what caused an 18-month old £10.7m helicopter to crash killing everyone aboard

Mr Small, 42, is understood to have accepted a lift home to Northern Ireland to attend a concert.

Witnesses
said they saw the helicopter hovering before descending at a 45-degree
angle, hitting a tree and coming down in a nearby field.

The impact destroyed most of the cockpit and left wreckage strewn around a 200-yard area.

James
Tuttle, 40, who runs a gardening business nearby, said: ‘We looked up
and it was drifting in at a 45-degree angle, like a plane would try to
land.

‘I knew he was in
trouble as he was coming down. It sounded as though the rotors and
turbines were shutting down – like a mechanical fault.

‘It didn’t sound right.’

Emergency
services taking photographs of the scene to see if they can recreate
the final moments of the doomed flight which killed four people

A sheared tree branch near the crash scene, left. Air crash investigators will want to know if the £10.7 million twin-engined aircraft clipped trees before hitting the ground. More police officers guard the entrance to a church yard near the scene where the tragedy occurred in Norfolk

Visibility was reported as low as 50ft last night around the time of the crash and heavy fog still blanketed the area this morning as the search for answers continues

Police cordoned-off several areas of woodland around potentially vital pieces of evidence that could help resolve the mystery

Police cordoned off an area just 200 metres from Lord Ballyedmond's helipad leading to fears that the aircraft clipped trees as it tried unsuccessfully to gain altitude

Officers asked for the public's patience describing the size of the cordon as 'standard for this type of incident'

Two police officers stand beside a celtic cross near Gillingham Hall. Lord Ballyedmond was flying to Northern Ireland when his aircraft crashed

Police
officers receiving a briefing about how to conduct searches of the area
and how to ensure that no vital evidence is lost or contaminated

Police
forensics teams are still establishing the cause of the crash, but it
emerged yesterday that Lord Ballyedmond’s company, Haughey Air Ltd, had
lodged a writ against manufacturers Agusta-Westland over concerns about a
helicopter supplied by the firm.

The case was lodged in September last year and is understood to have included concerns about in-flight mapping systems.

Lord
Ballyedmond was said have been seeking a refund on the £10.7million
purchase price of the helicopter, which allegedly suffered a string of
safety defects, including a hole in one of its blades, oil leaks from
its main gearbox and unexplained vibrations.

A
spokesman for Agusta-Westland said it could not comment on possible
defects with Lord Ballyedmond’s helicopter but said it was
investigating.

Mr Dickerson, 36, was a chief pilot at Haughey Air, and Mr Hoyle, 45, was a co-pilot at the company.

Mr
Hoyle, a former adventure training instructor for the Army, had worked
for Haughey Air for a year. He and Mr Dickerson are believed to have
been married.

Chief
Inspector Stuart Armes of Norfolk Police said: ‘We are still in the very
early stages of the investigation and we are not closing the doors to
any scenarios about what might have happened.

‘We will identify what the scene tells us and gather more information. We are considering all possibilities.

Silver commander Superintendent Dave Marshall said: 'Police, along with our emergency service colleagues and the Air Accident Investigation Branch are now working towards the dignified removal of the four bodies which is expected to take place this afternoon, full examination of the scene and opening roads as quickly as possible.

'The cordon is in place to keep areas sterile and allow the investigation to be carried out sensitively and safely. We appreciate the difficulty that the road closures will create and we apologise to those people that have been affected. As soon as it is appropriate to reopen the nearby roads we will do.'The scene of the crash in the field surrounding roads remained cordoned as police and air accident investigators began a forensic search for clues.

A Norfolk Police statement said: 'Investigations are continuing this morning following a helicopter crash in Gillingham, near Beccles, last night. The location is described as a field off the A143 at the Gillingham roundabout.

'Officers received a call at about 7.30pm from a member of the public who reported hearing the noise of a loud crash.

Lord
Ballyedmond complained that following deliver in September 2012, he
could not use his aircraft for 85 days because it suffered from 'a
number of defects and reliability problems'

Lord Ballyedmond (left) founded his pharmaceutical company Norbrook Laboratories in Northern Ireland in 1968 where its flag (right) flies at half mast as a mark of respect

'At this time the police on behalf of HM Coroner will work with partners, including the Air Accident Investigation Branch, to investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident.

Chief Superintendent Bob Scully of Norfolk Police added: 'On behalf of the force I would like to pass on my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of those who have sadly lost their lives in this tragic incident.

'Police, along with our emergency service colleagues have been working through the night to secure the scene.

'Limited investigations have taken place so far due to the dark, cold and foggy conditions. However, with daylight and hopefully clearer conditions a more detailed examination of the crash site can get underway.

'At this time we do not know when the aircraft will be recovered. It is important that the public stay away from the area - the cordon is in place to allow our experts to carry out these processes safely.

'We appreciate the difficulty that the road closures will create and we apologise to those people that have been affected.

'There are two reasons why we have taken this action; the first is to allow investigators to assess whether there is any debris from the incident on the highway. The second is the close proximity of some of these roads to the crash site.'

A lone officer keeps watch over the massive search area until investigators collect all the pieces of debris

Chief Insp Stuart Armes confirmed at the scene that the four bodies had been left in the wreckage overnight after the crash.

He said: 'We are still in the very early stages of assessing the whole site. We know it is geographically very wide.

'The four bodies are still in situation and our processes have to be followed before they are removed. Of course we have consideration for the families and they will be removed as soon as possible.'

Eyewitness Michael Tabby described how he joined the search after hearing ‘a loud bang’ and an engine subsiding.

He said: ‘I was outside McDonald's with my friend when we heard a helicopter coming in quite low.

It sounded like it was in difficulty and was trying to land opposite where there is private helicopter landing pad.

‘It sounded as though it then tried to climb and crossed the road in the direction of Norwich and then there was loud bang followed by the sound of jet engine winding down.

‘My friend called the police and we tried searching the fields opposite with two other men but we could not find anything.’

Lord Ballyedmond was Northern Ireland's richest man having founded his own pharmaceutical business Norbrook Laboratories

Lord
Ballyedmond, who was Northern Ireland's richest man worth at least
£500m, purchased the house in 2005 for an estimated £2.5m

Lord
Ballyedmond photographed with his wife Mary at the home in Northern
Ireland. The Tory peer also was appointed to the upper house of the
Irish parliament

Roland
Bronk, owner of The Swan House inn and restaurant in Beccles, said it
was ‘very foggy’ in the area.

Mr Bronk said he heard customers talk
about ‘a lot of police activity and ambulances’.

Taxi
driver Mark Murray, 22, from Beccles, said: ‘There is a large stately
home nearby and you often see helicopters coming and going from there.

‘When
they have a game shoot the guests often all arrive in separate
helicopters. We don't know if that is linked, but that's the only
helicopter activity we see in this area.One Twitter user,
@andrew89mufc, said thick fog might have played a part in the crash,
adding: ‘Helicopter crashed very close to my house in Gillingham
tonight. I heard it flying over the house.

‘I live in Worlingham on
Park Drive. My garden backs onto the woodland leading to Gillingham. I
heard a helicopter circling the house for about 15 mins at around 7:45pm.
This may have been air ambulance or police searching though.’

Lord Ballyedmond was a very influential
businessman who regularly met royalty (left) and used his wealth to buy
an extensive property portfolio, including Gillingham Hall near where he
tragically died (right)

PIC FROM CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: Lord Ballyedmond outside his home, Corby Castle 20 July 2000) - A tragic helicopter crash has killed one of Northern Irelands richest men and three other people. Lord Ballyedmond died in the accident near his stately home near Gillingham, Norfolk at 7.30pm yesterday (Thursday). It is not known what caused the crash, although witnesses said it was foggy and happened very soon after take-off. The Northern Ireland peer was number 98 on The Sunday Times 2013 Rich List and was worth £860million. SEE CATERS COPY

Locals said Lord Ballyedmond was a regular visitor to Gillingham Hall which he was renovating following its £2.5m purchase

Lord Ballyedmond was returning home to Northern Ireland after inspecting the progress of renovation works at the 10-bedroom mansion